As was the case on Saturday, there was no League Stat upload for this one. (Also, no national anthem singer nor goal judges.) So here is everything (almost) that you would get if there was an actual link about this one:

This game was very similar to Saturday's opener. The Bisons carried the play, limited Toronto (for the most part) to perimeter play, generated a massive advantage in territory and shots on goal, but could not score.

Toronto golatender Garrett Sheehan was very good in goal. He never made the spectacular saves that Brett Willows made on Saturday night. But he still kept his team in a game that could have over mid-way through the 2nd period.

The Bisons gave Joe Caligiuri the start and one more period in net. He was fighting the puck on Saturday and, since he appears tipped to be the #1, I don't think they wante dhim to face the Evil Monkeys coming off a game like that. So, he got one more period. Deven Dubyk gives me lots of confidence. Since the Bisons not only play two games against the Primates, they also play the No-Longer-Fighting Sioux, I suspect that the management will give each of them at least one start.

There must be some concern on the injury front. On each of the last two weekends the Bisons have dressed only 19 players for the second game. This time it was Jordan DePape who played just the once.

The Bisons shuffled their first three lines and played them all relatively equally. None stood out above the other. They all generated scoring chances by the bucket-load. But where is the finish? Was it just good opposition goaltending? These are the questions to be answered.

The 4th liners (Coates and Dalebozik) were used with a variety of linemates, often Ciarelli or Paulsen. I suspect that both are slated to be extra forwards this year once Lauder, Duval, and DePape are in the line-up.

The blueliners all looked good. I suspect that newcomer Pierre Landry will be the extra once Dane Crowley returns to the line-up. Over the weekend, Landry took a regular shift and was not out of place. Since Paulsen appears to have found a home with the forwards, I would feel a lot more comfortable if they had one more body on the roster. Maybe there is somebody in the pipeline.

The Bisons have finished the pre-season at 5-4-1, and the Blahs are 1-1-0.

The team also announced that the family of the late Wayne Fleming will be at Friday's home opener for a dedication ceremony. I am not sure what this entails but I am looking forward to it.

This was a late addition to the schedule, which I stumbled upon at the Regina schedule page. The Sask site is crappola. This is too bad since they are hosting the U-Cup this year. It would be nice if they had a good and easy-to-navigate website. I obtained a link for the game story on this one by going to the main sport site and clicking through to find a story. If you go to the hockey team's page, good luck. They have a roster page with a picture of each player and nothing else.

In this game Kenton Dulle scored a 3rd period hat-trick to win it for the Mangy Ones. The Canines are now 3-2-0 and the Felines 3-4-0 in the pre-season.

This was the return match and was hosted by The Clown. Therefore, no LeagueStat for this game. The Tweety-Birds should have kicked off the rust with this series. Next weekend they go way up north to Alaska for a pair of games before starting the regular season on October 11th against Bedrock. The sweep makes the T-Birds 2-0-0 in the pre-season.

The Evil Monkeys are now on a losing streak. A weekend sweep at the hands of the Bedrock Boys has not happened for a while. Maybe it is a case of teams starting to catch up to the Monkeys after they got off to an early start. Nevertheless, the Monkeys are still 9-2-0 in the pre-season (best in the CW) and the Extinct Ones are 4-3-1 (tied with Manitoba for second).

Crowley, 26, is entering his final year of eligibility with the Bison men's hockey program and will be the team captain for a second consecutive season. The Winnipeg native has exhibited strong leadership abilities that have been instrumental in helping elevate the Bisons to one of the most competitive teams in CIS men's hockey during his four years in the program.

The hard-hitting, ultra-competitive defenseman is highly respected by his teammates, coaching staff and throughout the Canada West Conference. The 6'2", 210 lbs. player has been a Canada West All-Star for three consecutive seasons as well as twice being named the Bisons Best Defenseman. Crowley is also a past winner of the University of Manitoba Doug Hedley Award.

A student in the faculty of Engineering, Crowley earned 2012-13 CIS Academic All-Canadian honours for having a GPA of 3.50 or higher during a season. In addition, he has been an advocate for helping the community through various programs including holiday Siloam Mission visits, teaching and training young athletes, and participating in school visits during "I Love To Read Month".

Second, the Arena is being re-named. It will now be known as the Wayne Fleming Arena located at the Max Bell Centre. For those who have not been on the campus. the Max Bell Centre includes an indoor track and field facility to the west of the hockey arena, with a gym and the usual workout facilities. Joined to those to the north is the Investor's Group Athletic Centre, which hosts volleyball, basketball, and other events. So there will still be facilities named after Max Bell.

Fleming had a very impressive resume. I quote:

After his graduation and his playing days were over, Fleming continued to be on the University of Manitoba campus as he was the assistant coach of the Bison men's hockey team for the next three years (1976-77 to 1979-80) and then moved from assistant to head coach in 1980-81 and was at the helm of the Bisons for nine seasons (1980-81 to 1986-87 and 1988-89 and '89-90). During those productive years, Fleming guided the Bisons to back-to-back GPAC (defunct now Great Plains Athletic Conference) Championships from 1983-84 (regular season record: 19-4-1) and 1984-85 (17-3-4) plus named GPAC Coach of the Year in 1982-83 and 1984-85 and also selected as Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (now CIS) Coach of the Year in 1984-85. His Bisons head coach conference regular season record for his nine seasons was 140-78-14 (a winning percentage of .634).

Fleming's legacy is more about the positive impact he had on shaping the lives of his players and students than just wins and loses. He was an exceptional coach, teacher, mentor and friend.

Fleming was influential in advancing the hockey careers of numerous Bison hockey student-athletes to professional hockey in North America and Europe. Notable players and coaches include former National Hockey League (NHL) players: Mike Ridley, Stu Grimson and Ron Talakoski, current NHL Head Coach Barry Trotz, current Bison men's hockey head coach Mike Sirant, and former Olympians Vaughn Karpan and Mark MacKay. Of greater importance is the impressive list of Fleming's former student-athletes who have become positive leaders in our community in diverse roles such as doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, coaches, sport administrators, policemen and businessmen.

After Manitoba and his successful tenure, Fleming continued to be very prominent in his coaching career both internationally and at the National Hockey League (NHL) level. He was part of the Canadian National Team from 1990-92 in the role of assistant coach and general manager as they proceeded to win a silver medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics. Then from 1992 until 1996, he was the head coach of Leksands IF of the Swedish Elitserien. Fleming was coach of the Landshut Cannibals in Germany for one year before returning to North America to become an assistant coach with the New York Islanders in 1997-98 for two seasons. He was also an assistant coach in the NHL for the Phoenix Coyotes (1999-00, '00-01), the Philadelphia Flyers (2002-03 to 2005-06), the Calgary Flames (2006-07, '08-09) and finished with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2010-11 and 2011-12). Fleming continue his success internationally as he went back to the Canadian national program in 2000 and was named the Vice President, Hockey by Hockey Canada and served as an associate coach for the national team when it captured a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics Games (first gold for Canada's men's hockey team in 50 years) and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Wayne Fleming was inducted into the Manitoba Bisons Men's Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

The Bisons are in for a stiff test, facing the Evil Monkeys right off the bat. Even though the Primates were swept last weekend, they have been the dominant team so far. The Herd has managed to compensate for many key departures in the forward lines to assemble a pretty good team. One thing they will have to do is convert offensive pressure into goals. Last weekend against Toronto they salvaged a split from a series which should have been an easy sweep.

The big questions are:
1. Will Joe Caligiuri rebound to his 2011-12 form where he was the #1 goaltender?
2. Will Ian Duval be ready to return to the line-up?
3. Will the defence keep the Monkeys on the perimeter as they did last season? (In the home games, at least.)
4. Will second year players like Paradis, Kelly, and Scott blossom into top line players?
5. Will the first year players continue to pace the team up front? (Kind of ike the Jets, right?)

Don't forget, be there early Friday for the Wayne Fleming dedication ceremony.

As for the links, the CW site has a preview story which has all the major additions and deletions. The pdf format weekly notes should be downloaded. It has all of last season's final stats and is a keeper.

The Evil Monkeys are the defending CW champs. They finished first, won the playoffs, scored the most goals, gave up the fewest goals, and then lost in the opening game at nationals. In that one they outshot Waterloo 43-13 yet lost 2-1. Somewhat similar to Saturday's game when the Bisons lost to the Blahs.

One thing to note - although Alberta was first in goals for and against, the Bisons were also 2nd in both categories. Amazingly, Alberta gave up just 46 goals in conference play, 25 fewer than Manitoba. Quite a gap.

My expectations for these teams: Alberta will finish first, and Manitoba anywhere from 2nd to 4th.

Last year the New-Kittens-on-the-Block started by surprising the Banjo-Mutts on opening weekend. (Why are the CW repeating the opening weekend from last season's schedule anyhow?) One would think Sask is shooting for a 3 point minimum on this road trip. Sask did lose once to the Old Cats in pre-season.

My expectations for these teams: Sask will finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th, Mount Royal from 6th to 8th.

To me, the Banjo-Cats seemed dreadfully weak. Yet they were able to do well against everybody other than the Bisons. Is Calgary a threat this year? They did sweep the Evil Monkeys last weekend. They have had a solid pre-season and should be comparable to last year.

My expectations for these teams: Calgary will finish anywhere from 2nd to 5th, and Regina from 5th to 8th.

The Tweety-Birds are flying up the coast to Alaska. Say "hi" to Sarah Palin, OK? On paper, UBC should be better. Could they finally crack the top 4 for the first time since actual dinosaurs roamed Bedrock?

Why wouldn't the Bisons get the CW to give them this weekend to hit the States and allow them to play the Monkeys during the bye week? This kind of stinks. A 3rd game in 3 nights after facing Saudi Alberta is by far the toughest weekend of the season for any CIS team.

Last year UND won this game 5-3. The Bisons then tied Bemidji 3-3 the next night. Both were away games, as they always are when NCAA teams are involved.

UND really needs a nickname. The NCAA made them drop "Fighting Sioux". I guess for now they are the "Surrendering Farm Boys". Too bad. I liked the old logo.

It was too bad the game went the way it did. The crowd was large and noisy, spurred on by the Engineering Smonized Marching Band (in their vintage Jets/Molson jerseys). I don't know how they count crowds, but the place had a playoff-size crowd.

It wasn't just the Bisons. The home teams lost all three games on opening night. A three-goal second period did the Banjo-Cats in. Kris Lazaruk started ahead of Jacob DeSerres in the Bedrock goal. He never played at all last year.

I cannot remember he last time the Bisons had a scoreless weekend. But here we go ...

The scores and stats do not look flattering, to say the least. However it has to be said that the Bisons were largely matching the Evil Monkeys until fallin apart after a controversial goal.

Anyhow, I got there early so I could see warm-up. The things that stood out were that Caligiuri was fighting the puck in goal, and that a high percentage of shots were wide or over the goal. The lack of finish that turned what should have been a routine sweep against Toronto into a split is likely just something with which to be patient this season.

The controversial goal came about 4 minutes into the 2nd period. The Bisons had a breakout and Schappert joined the rush. He uncharcateristically lost his footing, giving the Primates a turnover and a counter rush. It ended with Ringrose scoring whilst a little chimp was sitting on Caligiuri. Goaltender interference? Not according to the stripes.

The Bisons now hit Highway 75 for a Sunday trip to Grand Forks to face the UND Peacemaking Scandinavians. Frankly, a game right now is the last thing the Bisons need. A day off followed by a week of practice to get ready for next weekend would be a much better plan. The Banjoland Mangy Mutts will be at the Wayne Fleming Arena for another double-header.

This decisive win gave the Bedrock Boys a sweep. Jacob DeSerres was in the Bedrock goal, and the Kittens replied with Andrew Hayes. So both sides switched goaltenders. Calgary will host UBC next weekend, and Regina will host Lethbridge.

This result is a bit of a milestone as it marks MRU's first win over the Mangy Ones. (Manitoba is the only CW team they have yet to defeat.) I suspect the scoreline may mislead a bit, since Sask outshot their hosts 34-32 on the night. It was also a 3-1 game until MRU scored an empty-netter, followed by a PP goal with 5 seconds left.

In an odd roster note, Dalyn Flette was the only goaltender dressed for the New-Kittens-on-the-Block. They went with 19 skaters on the 20-man line-up sheet. I am not sure why. Also, their top goal-scorer from last season, Eric Galbraith, scored twice. The Mutts started Ryan Holfield again. He played in 27 of 28 games last year, so that mas a predictable move by Coach 'Dolph.

Next weekend the Banjo-Mutts visit Friendly Manitoba, and the NKOTB play the Evil Monkeys in a home-and-home.

After a pretty decent game on Friday, the Birds must have been frozen stiff in the wilds of Alaska in Saturday's tour finale. Despite the margin of victory, the shots were 37-24, which is decisive but not gawd-awful. Mark Hewitt was in the UBC net. Next weekend the 'Birds travel to Bedrock to face the team that has eliminated them in the quarter-finals in each of the last two seasons.

A 5-1 loss sounds one-sided, and the shots were 46-12 for the Rodents. In other words, the usual game for the H0rny Ones! However, it was a 1-1 game 15 minutes into the 2nd period. So the H0rny Ones probably left the building happy. They face Minnesota State on Sunday before going to Regina for a pair of games next weekend.

OUT EAST:

Regular Season

York 3 UOIT 2 (OT) : [CIS] : [LeagueStat]Friday's Brock win over UOIT was actually a regular season game as well.

The Banjo-Mutts are coming for a turkey dinner. Which will make quite a change from their traditional Thanksgiving fare, i.e. possum shanks and crawdads, consumed with banjo music playing in the background.

Of course, what we in the civilized world consider modern upgrades, the Mangy Ones often observe with bewilderment. In past years their players have been caught drinking out of the toilets. (Just imagine if your puppy had arms!) Seldom did they shower, and on the rare occasion when one of them would accidentally wander in and get wet, he would try to shake himself dry and make the walls an absolute mess. I hear they do appreciate stpre-bought toilet paper.

Last weekend, the Bisons were blanked 3 games in a row. Meanwhile, the Mutts were held to 2 points at Mount Royal. Both sides had a reasonable but not awe-inspiring pre-season, and are quite likely disappointed with last weekend.

Departed from last years Pack of Hounds are: Kyle Bortis (leading scorer), Jimmy Bubnick (4th), Craig McCallum (6th), Brandon Herrod (7th), Chris Durand (9th), Michael Kaye (12th), Ryan Funk (15th), Jordan Peddie (18th), and goaltender David Reekie. So both sides have had significant turnover at the top of their depth charts. Their LeagueStat roster lists 12 forwards and 11 defencemen. Sometimes they mix guys up. If you check the roster link, you will see that they have 4 new forwards, 4 new defencemen, and one goaltender. In my view, they have not upgraded (on paper).

Clearly, both sides have had some significant changes. Somewhat surprising in Sask's case, since they are hosting the U-Cup tournament and get an automatic berth. That usually is a sign to hang on to players.

This week's big question for the Bisons has to be: Will somebody score? Despite the loss of a number of top forwards, the Bisons scored 34 goals in their first 10 exhibition games, a pretty good output.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block split with Sask last weekend, and did manage a win over the Monkeys last year. I would not take them lightly but I am sure the Primates expect 4 points from this home-and-home series.

The past two seasons have seen UBC make a push for 4th place and the right to host a quarter-final. However, Bedrock U have chased them down both times, then beat them in the playoffs. UBC have recruited well (on paper) but have also lost some significant reliable players, including their goaltender. UBC did not face any CIS opposition in the pre-season so are hard to gauge. The Dinos ended the pre-season with 2 wins over the Monkeys. This series will draw some interest around the league.

The Bisons needed a shot in the arm after last weekend's power outage. And they got it from the return of Ian Duval. He was injured 3 weeks ago against the Banjo-Cats, and returned to score a hat-trick and pace the Herd to a win over the Banjo-Mutts. Here's how they lined up:

The Bisons made their imprint on the game early and dominated the 1st period. However, it was still a 0-0 tie at the intermission.

The Mutts opened scoring in the 2nd period. A funny bounce off the glass and the Ross-Hulak-Dulle combo cashed in on the opportunity. The Bisons tied it when Duval was set up on a short breakaway after a turnover. He had Ryan Holfield going one way while his jock strap went the other, and it was 1-1. Travis Bobbee put the Bisons in front to stay when he pinched in and scored on a PP.

The Mutts recovered adequately as they pressed to tie the game, and in the 3rd period the Bisons crawled into a bit of a shell. But Duval made a nice defensive poke-check, which resulted in a 3-on-1 breakout. He faked a pass then scored. The goal seemed to deflate the Banjo-Mutts, allowing the Bisons to coast. Duval's 3rd goal was into an empty net.

Of note, Joe Caligiuri had his best game of the year.

The rematch goes Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Wayne Fleming Arena, and is available on CanadaWest.tv.

While it is true that the Bisons were shut-out for the 4th time in 5 games, this was quite unlike the others. For one thing, it followed a win. For another, for almost half the game this was a 0-0 tie in which the Bisons looked to have a great chabnce to achieve a sweep.

The one great thing about the night was that the Banjo-Mutts wore a new light green jersey instead of those ugly black blobs they usually wear. (With dark green numbers, those are the only uniforms around worse than the Bison browns for being able to read the players' numbers.)

Also, the Bisons did not dress Brock Sutherland, leaving them one bull short of a full herd. For that matter, the Mutts were one puppy short of a litter both nights, also.

This win allowed the Mutts to slip past the Bisons in the standings, as they are now 2-2-0 and the Bisons fall to 1-3-0 in conference play. This mini-round-robin ends next weekend with the Mutts hosting the Monkeys and the Bisons off to Calgary to face MRU. The Bisons' next games at the Wayne Fleming Arena will be against the Dinos on October 25-26. So by the end of the first month they will have played their home series against their three top rivals.

The Banjo-Cats completed a much-needed home ice sweep of the H0rny Ones, who at least showed some improvement. This levels the Cats' record at 2-2-0 and the Viagra-less fall to 0-2-0. The 'Horns will host Calgary in their home opener next weekend, and the Kittens are off to British California.

This weekend series sounded like a tennis match, 6-2, 6-1. Saturday's game was a tight one until the 3rd period when the Evil Monkeys scored 4 unanswered goals on 14 shots. The New-Kittens-on-the-Block will host the Bisons next weekend, and the Monkeys will visit the Mutts.

In the Town of Bedrock the hopes of the Tweety-Birds to be a top contender became a page right out of history. Actually, when I heard the score was 9-to-5 I started thinking about Dolly Parton. Anyhow, a six goal 2nd period outburst burried the 'Birds. They had built a 2-0 lead after the 1st. Then after pulling goaltender Matt Hewitt they rallied to make it 6-4 early in the 3rd. Crazy game. The Dinos are now 4-0-0, and UBC is 0-2-0.

The New-Kittens-on-the-Block have now started their second season in the CW after being a dominant team for many years in the ACAC. They and the Bisons are both 1-3, after two games against each of Alberta and Sask.

The underlying stories on this series are shutouts and streaks.

The Bisons have been shutout in 3 of 4 regular season games so far. They were also shutout in a non-conference game in that time frame, to make it 4 out of 5. This raises the question: Who could score? Ian Duval bounced back from the injured list to record a hat-trick. Other lines have produced chances. Now we have to see who has that midas touch around the net.

One streak the Bisons have is a winning streak over the NKOTB. They beat them all 4 games last year, and are the only team MRU has yet to beat. Of note, the Banjo-Mutts had such a streak going until 2 weeks ago when MRU split a pair of games with them.

This is a home-and-home series, and opens Friday in Lethbridge. Calgary is off to a great start, even racking up 2 wins over the Evil Monkeys in exhibition games. This could get ugly for the H0rny Ones.

For some reason, many links are not yet uploaded. Maybe they will be as you read.

The best way for an offensively-challenged team to win is obvious: Get a shut-out and pray SOMEBODY on your side scores, even once. And that's what happened here. Deven Dubyk had his first start in the Bison goal and stopped 'em all. Brendan Rowinski scored in the first period.

I had baseball playoffs, Jets hockey, and Bison football to follow as well. I focussed on this game for the 2nd and 3rd periods. The Bisons really controlled play in the 2nd period but, as usual, lacked the finish necessary to score a goal or two which would have put the New-Kittens-on-the-Block away. MRU had a big rally in the 3rd period, outshooting the Bisons 18-7. However, not many of those came with traffic in front of the Bison goal.

This was a key win. Even though the Bisons are only 2-3-0, they are tied for 3rd.

The rematch is Saturday at 2:00 local, 3:00 central, and is on CanadaWest.tv.

Just over 5 minutes into this one it was already 2-0 for the Bedrock Boys, and with the H0rny Ones' recent track record one could have feared for a slaughter. While the Dinos claimed a tidy victory, it would not be fair to categorize this as a blowout. In fact, the desperate 'Horns outshot Calgary 21-19 over the final two periods, in which the Lizards no doubt were satisfied to let the clock tick down. That's 5-0-0 on the season for the Flintstone Pets. However, they do have yet to play Alberta, Sask., and Manitoba.

Saturday's rematch goes at 6:00 local/7:00 central and is scheduled for broadcast at CanadaWest.tv.

The Banjo-Cats built a 3-0 first period lead, only to fritter it away. They scored those 3 goals on 8 shots at Steven Spafford, the 'Bird tender. After a goaltending change, UBC outshot the Banjo-Cats 26-10 over the final two frames. This was a big win for the Tweety-Birds. A home ice loss to Regina would have dropped them to 0-3-0.

I saw most of this one on CanadaWest.tv. The Bisons did generate some good scoring chances. In the end the shots were 32 each and the game was very close. MRU now has splits against both Manitoba and Sask., and without a fluky type of game where a hot goaltender steals one. They did not rock the world in the pre-season, but maybe they are a playoff threat. IAE, Manitoba, Sask., and MRU are all 2-4-0 after having played identical schedules.

Bison goals were scored by Jesse Paradis and Dane Crowley. Deven Dubyk once again started in goal. There was some controversy after the Bisons scored with about 3 minutes left in the game. After the goal, Aaron Lewadniuk was penalized and shortly after than Ian Duval was also penalized. This basically thwarted the comeback attempt.

The Dinos hosted game 2 of this set between the unbeaten and the winless. The game seems to have been just like the first. The shots were 48-19 for Bedrock U. Early results suggest that the H0rny Ones may be less competitive than last year when they won only 2 games. Dino Chris Collins had his 8th and 9th goals of the season. Calgary visits Manitoba next weekend, and Lethbridge visits Sask.

This game ended the mini-round-robin amongst the Bisons' early season opponents. The Evil Monkeys swept everybody, and the rest split every series amongst themselves. Sask. had a brief 2-1 lead in the 2nd period. The Apes are now 6-0 amd have finished their away games in Sask. and Manitoba. They also are rotating Mucha and Siemens in goal, while Sask. starts Holfield every games.

A pair of 1-0 games were held this weekend. After blowing the game on Friday night the Banjo-Cats deserve credit for the bounce-back performance. The British Californians fall to 1-3-0, which must be disappointing for them. Regina will be thrilled with their 3-3-0 start, which lands them in 3rd place. UBC is off to Saudi Alberta next weekend, and Regina visits MRU in a Cougar v Cougar match-up.

The Bisons will host Bedrock U in a weekend double-header which has some significance. In an odd schedule, the Herd faces each of their three toughest foes all in the month of October, at home. This weekend also marks the first "crossover" weekend. Like last season, Manitoba, Alberta, Sask., and Mount Royal started the season with a round-robin amongst themselves. Meanwhile Bedrock, Regina, UBC, and Lethbridge did likewise. (The UBC-Lethbridge series got shifted to the bye week so as to allow those teams to visit the Excited States.)

By any measure, the Bisons are in their tough stretch. The Dinos have racked up 6 straight wins, which followed a luke-warm pre-season. The teams did face one another in Regina in the Bisons' first game back on Canadian soil following their Euro junket. That game ended in a 3-2 Dino win.

As usual, the question will be: Can the Bisons score? They had a stretch where they were shutout in 4 of 5 games (including one non-conference game), and last weekend even had a 1-0 win. Meanwhile, Bedrock U boasts the top 2 scorers in the CW, newcomers Chris Collins (9-3-12) and Adam Kambeitz (3-8-11).

In goal, Deven Dubyk started both games last weekend, his first two regular season starts as a Bison. The Dinos have rotated the DeSerres/Lazaruk combo so far, after Dustin Butler has used up his eligibility.

The Bisons' 2-4 start might not seem so great, but they are tied for 4th and have yet to play two teams they usually sweep - Regina and Lethbridge. Expect a pair of good games!

Pity the H0rny Ones. Ten games, ten losses. On the bright side, only 4 of those were in the regular season. You know what is worse? Only a 4-3 exhibition loss to Regina was by fewer than 3 goals. This means the Banjo-Mutts really need a sweep. Anything less, particularly on home ice, will render them at a severe disadvantage vis-a-vis the rest of the conference.

UBC had some much-hyped recruits. But, as usual, they seem to be about the same as the guys the are replacing. They had a split with Regina and were swept by Calgary. I believe that the current word for that is: "Meh."

The Evil Monkeys have been off to an amazing start. However, by now the pack should be catching up to them. They did play 11 exhibition games, more than many NHL teams. There should be good crowd on Friday. They are giving free burgers to the first 500 students!

This series could be very significant at season's end. The top 6 teams qualify for playoffs, and Lethbridge looks like they have dibs on #8. IMO, Regina should envy MRU's 2-4 record against the traditional Big Three. I expect a split here. If one team could sweep they would have a big edge all season.

Friday night's series opener was a very back-and-forth game in which nobody ever had more than a one-goal lead. This was the Bisons' (and for that matter the CW's) first overtime game of the regular season.

One major observation of the Dinos: They are very bad floppers and have a very chintzy style of play. (Those things do tend to go hand-in-hand.) The Bisons were able to barge towards their goal much easier than against most opponents, and I would hope they would do more of this in the rematch. The referees did get sucked in a few times, and the Dinos capitalized with 3 PP goals in 6 attempts. They must be great fans of Greg Louganis, or at least soccer players.

The Bisons opened scoring when Luke Cain scored the only goal of the 1st period. The Bisons had a slight edge in play and the goal was scored by Cain barging his way toward the goal.

The Bisons started the 2nd period well, but the Dinos had their only stretch with the upper hand in the last half of the period. Two late goals (from Kambeitz and Pritz) gave them the lead. The Pritz goal was on a questionable PP (drawn via a pair of Sedin-like flops) on a point shot that Dubyk probably should have stopped.

Down 2-1 entering the 3rd, the Bisons did turn the game around by controlling the vast majority of the period. Just over a minute in, Dylan Kelly converted a Paradis pass and the game was tied. The Dinos regained the lead when a Vandane point shot eluded Dubyk. (Those two point shot goals were weak, but Dubyk did have a pretty good game, overall.)

The game was headed to a disappointing end when Dane Crowley came in from the point and slammed home a loose puck. As usual, the Dinos had little interest in laying the body on a man headed to the net.

The overtime goal was scored on a PP rebound goal, set up by another flop.

The rematch goes Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Wayne Fleming Arena. I do not see the game listed on CanadaWest.tv.

The Evil Monkeys dominated the shot clock but this was tied 2-2 headed into the 3rd. The Mucha/Siemens rotation in the Monkey goal continued. Eight different players scored one goal each in this one. The rematch is on CanadaWest.tv Saturday at 7 central, and is in HD!

Cat Fight #1 goes to the Green Ones. This was a funny game. The 1st period was scoreless. Regina dominated the 2nd period. (I didn't think that was possible!) They scored 2 goals on 19 shots. Then the New-Kittens-on-the-Block fell apart in the 3rd. The Banjo-Cats scored 3 goals on only 6 shots. Of note, MRU went with Kris Moore in goal, rather than Dalyn Flette (who was so good against the Bisons).